Summer at Snapes
by RingosGarden
Summary: Installment number three in the Taylor Black Saga. Taylor spends the summer with Snape after Remus decides he can no longer care for her in fear of hurting her.
1. We're Here

Summer At Snape's

**Summer At Snape's**

**Here's installment number three!!**

**Love you guys.**

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"So this is Prince Manor?" I ask, looking at the large manor before us.

"Indeed," Snape replies, walking up the pathway to the front door. I follow behind him until he throws his arm back, stopping me from going any further. He takes his wand out and mutters a few anti-jinxes before opening his front door and ushering me in behind him.

"I'll show you where you will be staying, and once you settle your stuff down, I'll give you a quick tour…and guidelines I'll expect you to follow."

I nod my head at him as he leads me up a large staircase, turning right at its landing and opening the second door on the left. He waits for me to enter before stepping in after me.

"This will be your room while you stay here," he states as I place my trunk and case down, and place Onyx over on a window seat. The room was plain with a four-poster bed on the right wall. On the wall facing the door, was a large window and window seat, with a desk and wardrobe on the left wall.

"Thank you, Sir," I state softly, sitting beside Onyx.

Snape walks towards me, sitting on the side of the bed, facing me. "Are you all right, Taylor?' He asks me, slowly.

"I'm not actually sure," I reply, looking up at him with a shrug.

He nods at me and stands back up. "Come on," he says, gesturing to the door. "Let me show you around."

I stand up and unlatch Onyx' cage so if she wanted to get out and stretch her wings, she could, and I follow Snape out into the hallway. To the left of the door we walked out of is a bedroom. He points to the door across from the room that I would be staying in and tells me that it is a bathroom. The door to the right of the bathroom is a closet and the one at the end of the hall is another bedroom. His bedroom is at the other end of the hall, and he informed me that under no circumstance should I ever go in there.

Walking back down the stairs, Snape leads me to the right, showing me the kitchen where his House Elf Bauble is, dining room and a potion room. To the left of where the staircase lets out is the living room, a large sunroom with a variety of potion making plants and a library.

The library at my grandmother's house is much larger than Snape's, but Snape's greatly outnumbers what Remus had had.

I run my hand across the bottom row of books, glancing at their titles. Some of the books on his shelves were hundreds of years old.

"I thought you might enjoy this room," Snape says from the doorway, watching me in curiosity.

I stop where I am and look up on the shelves. "Can you even touch most of these books?" I ask, looking back to him.

He shakes his head at me with a slight smile. "You, however, have free reign. Although, there are a few that I might like your help with ridding of jinxes."

"I'll help if I can," I say looking towards a particularly dilapidated book and pulling it off the shelf to look at the date. Reading it, I frown. "But it looks as if you might be out of luck with that."

"What do you mean?" He asks, sitting down in an armchair a few feet from me.

"Well _this_ book," I state, walking over to him and taking the seat across from him, "was published in the 1250s. Many of the protection spells and curses against anyone who was not a pure blood that were commonplace in the middle ages, no longer exist today, or were even creations of the particular manufacturer, publisher, writer or owner of the book. I know only some of them and would rather not see you burst into flame or die before me if I happen to miss one."

"How incredibly caring of you," he replies. "How do you know all this?"

"My grandmother," I reply, looking around the room. "She always prided herself on the Black library and liked acquiring books that would do particularly ugly things to those who weren't pureblood…she enjoyed testing them out on those who used to come to her door before my grandfather had added all the updated protection spells on their place."

"I was unaware that you had much contact with her."

"Well I didn't have _much_. She'd take me a few times a year when I was younger and increased it every year, teaching me how a good pureblood should act and believe. My last year at the orphanage, she would have me come over almost every weekend. Remus was tipped off and that's why he had come to get me, not allowing me to see her anymore- she died a few months after Remus took me in, although I didn't find out until more than a year later."

Snape studies me from across the table. "I don't recall you ever mentioning her much."

"Well she was hardly a great lady, but she was the only tie to the wizarding world that I had."

"So you didn't like her?"

I shrug. "I can only assume that she had gone quite mental in her old age, or I can completely understand why my father ran away when he was sixteen."

He frowns at mention of my father and I flip through the book before me, which happens to be an old basic charms book. "What was she like?"

"She valued blood above everything. She used to talk down to Lucius because somewhere along the line his blood was 'tainted'," I sigh and shut the book. "She taught me how to behave like a proper pure blood. How to speak, how to choose those I talked to…how to be adequately punished and to punish others…The typical upbringing that I wouldn't have received from my 'Muggle loving' father."

"Can I ask you something?" Snape states, staring intently into my eyes.

"If you stop trying to penetrate my mind, sure," I retort.

"Were Potter and Granger telling the truth?" he asks me. "About Pettigrew?"

"Planning on cashing in on the bounty on him? Bringing about the downfall of the Dark Lord is a great reason to pretend to be dead for twelve years, don't you think?"

"Is that your way of saying yes?"

"You already know the answer, Severus. Face it. It all adds up," I reply. "Sure, my father was an asshole to you in school…but he disowned his own brother for turning towards the dark arts. You were in Regulus' house at school…you had to have known that. Besides… wouldn't you have seen him at Death Eater meetings?"

Snape doesn't respond, looking down at his hands on the table.

"You believed him and still wanted to put him back in Azkaban…twelve years for an innocent man wasn't enough?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Snape coldly replies.

"And I'm not asking you to," I state with a smile. "This is going to be a long few months, isn't it?"

"Only if one of us doesn't kill the other, first."

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**Feelings?**


	2. The Dark Mark

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**Ooh, look at all my regulars. Thank you; **_Morgomir, Jente Bidernais, Dark-n-Twisty, L.A.H.H., Allamonalla, lovesick.melody, Moromu _and_ Friar Freaking Lawrence._

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It hasn't been too difficult getting used to living with Snape during the past three days. Both of us prefer being left to our own devices so getting along hasn't been too hard as of yet. I'm not too used to having a set wake up and bed time during break, but as long as I'm in my room, he doesn't check.

I opened my case that Remus had brought to Hogwarts for me yesterday and have been spending today trying to charm my laptop to work in a non-Muggle environment.

"Bollocks," I mutter, flipping through a book that I had borrowed from Hermione during the school year and had forgotten to return.

"What are you doing?"

I jump from my refuge in the library. "You scared me," I state, looking through the book's index. "I got my computer to work through magic…internet, however…"

"Internet?"

I look up at him and roll my eyes. "Oh, you proud wizard you." Finding the chapter on spells for internet in magical environments, I turn to it and take my wand out, stating the charm as I read, my wand over my computer.

"You're under-aged," Snape says with a slight frown, walking over to me.

"And there are enough magical wards on this place that even if you weren't of age, the ministry would never know." My computer tells me that the internet is connected and I gesture Snape to come over my shoulder.

"_This_," I state, clicking on an icon, "is the internet. If my computer wasn't running by magic, it would connect to the Muggle network, but from here you can find many things. Charms, simple remedies, buy products from your home…of course; it's monitored by the ministry- so nothing illegal. Anything you look at or buy can be tracked back to you."

"I think I'll stick with books."

"Me too, but communication is quicker by this means than by owl." I shrug at him, "I use this mainly for writing and research. Or, as you don't have a television, to watch the Muggle news and whatever else might be interesting."

"I think you're more Weasley than Black," Snape says with a grin, sitting across from me.

"Not quite," I reply, shaking my head. "I used to think that, as I think my father probably still does, but when I had punched Ron in first year, I realized he was right, that you really can't change you name. It was he being right that had pissed me off so much. I have to admit- my grandmother accomplished one thing- I _am_ proud to be pureblooded…I'm not going to curse those who aren't, or immediately denounce anything having to do with Muggles, or even go searching through the Dark Arts, but I'm something that so few wizards are anymore. Why not relish in it…it's not as if I follow the view that I'm superior for it."

"How can you be proud and not think you're superior?" Snape asks me.

"How can you think they go hand in hand?" I ask back. "I don't consider myself superior to anyone. If history shows anything, it will show that a person who finds himself superior will meet his downfall quicker. I believe that is a huge flaw in how the Dark Lord thinks. He thought that old magic was beneath him, and although he is only a half-blood, he finds himself superior to other half-bloods because his lineage is traced through Slytherin."

Snape shakes his head at me. "You are by far an interesting child."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Both, I think," he replies. "You're far too mature for your age, which is understandable in the circumstances you have been through. You also have a wisdom that surpasses any other person I have ever met at your age. You don't live as a child most of the time, and you don't trust people."

"There aren't many people in my life who have given me a reason to trust them."

"What about your friends?" Snape asks. "They've seemed to have stayed by your side for the most part."

"It's the 'most part' thing that bothers me," I reply. "But you're right I suppose."

"Of course I am," he replies, and I close my computer, shaking my head at him.

"And you wonder why people don't like you," I state, standing up and putting my computer back into its bag. "Oh!" I exclaim, seeing the book that was resting on my bag and handing it to Snape. "I fixed this one for you last night, I thought you might like some new…old…potion books."

He takes it tentatively. "How did you know it was safe?" he asks, looking at the cover.

I lean over and place my hand over the book where it glows blue. "Blue means it's clear of magic. I haven't been able to find a charm that tells me which curses are on the books, but that one's especially useful."

"What's the incantation?"

I shrug at him. "I don't know…I can control what I can do without a wand, but like accidental magic, I don't need to know the incantations. I just need to figure out how it works…"

He mutters something that I don't pick up and then turns to me. "If I do a non-verbal spell, are you telling me that you can do it without knowing what it is?"

"I'm not sure- I've never tried that way before. When I've wanted a spell…it's just worked after I've figured it out."

Snape studies me carefully and then takes his wand out. With a wave, the Dark Mark appears in the middle of the library and I jump back quickly.

"Bloody Hell! Warn me, will you?"

He ignores my outburst and nods towards the mark. "Only those that the Dark Lord has marked know the incantation, can you try it?"

I glare at him from where I stand. "You couldn't have picked something a bit more…cheery?" He doesn't respond and I look at the glowing green mark in front of me. Concentrating on making the mark, I flick my right wrist and a second mark appears before us and I back away from it slowly.

"Unbelievable," he states, watching the marks closely. Suddenly, he turns to me. "Could I draw some blood from you?"

"You want to _study_ me?" I ask.

"Yes."

"Okay then," I reply with a smile. "I have some vials already upstairs, stored airtight and fully preserved."

He looks at me in confusion. "You already have vials of your own blood?"

"Some potions require blood."

"None that you should be brewing at your age...almost every potion requiring human blood is very dark and advanced"

"I'm not using any of them," I reply. "Just making them."

"Making Dark potions is just as risky as delving into the Dark Arts," Snape states seriously. "I do not condone it."

"I assure you that I am fully capable."

He doesn't respond to me as I summon the vials of blood from up stairs. Within moments, three vials of my blood appear in my hand. "Here you are," I state, handing them to him.

I smile as he looks at them in excitement at being able to test them. "Go have fun," I state and he glares at me before leaving the library for his potions room.

I walk to the doorway to check that he has actually gone and run back into the library, quickly starting to search through the titles on the shelves for any book that might be able to teach me how to be an animagus. I'd rather not risk it with a wandless magic attempt.

The library happens to be arranged alphabetically by subject, so I quickly find what I'm looking for, and take down a few transfiguration books as well, to not only help in my studies, but in case Snape wants to see what I'm reading about. This way I can fake it off as some personal reading for McGonagall's class.

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**Love and hugs to all.**


	3. Write Him

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**Oh boy have I neglected this story…**

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There's a knock at my door and I don't bother getting up from where I was staring at the ceiling on my bed as Snape enters.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking," I reply, still flat on my back and looking at the ceiling.

"Write him," Snape states, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

I turn to him slowly. "Who?"

"You know who I am referring to," he says, gesturing to the stack of parchment on my desk. "You've been here a week and he's sent you a note for each day- none of which you've opened."

"What do you care?"

"You've called the man 'dad' for the past seven years, and you've now gone more than half a month without speaking to him…At least read what he has to say."

I sit up on the bed and summon the pile of letters from my desk, and opening the oldest in the pile. Frowning as I skim it, I quickly move on to the next letter, and then the next, until I've read the entire pile. "Apology and explanation…apology and explanation…it's the same thing over and over, just phrased differently."

"He appears to be sorry."

"And I appear to not care."

"Then why hadn't you read the notes until now?" Snape asks. When I don't answer him, he places a piece of parchment and a quill beside me on the bed.

"That's very nice of you," I state sarcastically, "but Onyx isn't back yet."

Snape grins at me and gestures towards the window. "And there's where you're wrong."

Turning my head to the right, Onyx is sitting on a perch outside the large window following the movements of what appears to be a flying ball of feathers, carrying a letter that is by far too large for it.

"What the hell is that?" I ask, sliding off the bed and opening the window. Onyx flies in and lands on the front of my bed. The other owl, zooms enthusiastically around the room, landing on Snape's head. I watch in amusement as Snape swats it away, looking ready to curse it.

"Come here, you," I say to the bird. The bird ignores my instruction and continues to fly in circles. I wave my hand at it and it stops in mid-air; hovering. Untying the note from its leg, I place the bird down to Snape's left.

"Who does that belong to?" He asks, glaring down at the now still bird.

"No clue," I reply, opening the letter. I read it quickly when I notice it's from George, deciding to read it better in depth when Snape isn't around.

"Apparently it was a gift to Ron from my father…" I state, frowning at the postscript of the letter. "I can only assume it was another of his jokes." I place the letter down on my desk and untie the one that Onyx was holding, noticing that it was another from my father. "Speaking of my father…want some entertainment?"

"Not particularly from him," he replies coldly.

I open the letter and begin to read it aloud.

"_Adara,_

_I know that you received my last letter because I sent one to Harry after I had sent yours and have already received a reply from him. I cannot say that I am not disappointed at least a small bit that you have chosen to ignore my previous note, but I can't say that I am surprised either. Moony has told me that you refuse to talk to him because you are no longer living with him (however, he absolutely refused to tell me where you are.) I know that what I say has little meaning to you right now, but I ask you to please communicate with him. He needs some happiness in his life and it's obvious that he loves you, even if he's a bit off on his decision making._

_We weren't able to talk very much when I saw you. I was wondering if you could tell me about your life- an autobiography of sorts? Your Weasley friend that fed me as a stray in Hogsmeade told me some interesting stories involving you, apparently you're quite the marauder, yourself. He seems to think very highly of you._

_Please write back. I understand that you're hesitant to let me into your life, but where's the hurt in a pen pal. If that's all you'll let me be, I'll take it._

_Padfoot."_

I sigh and sit down at the edge of my bed next to Onyx, re-reading my father's letter as Snape sits in silence. I mentally curse him for not calling me Taylor.

"Weasley fed him?" Snape asks when I place the note on my desk and unfreeze Ron's owl, who had lost his enthusiasm.

"We both did," I reply. "George and I. He's an animagus, a dog, and we mistook him for a stray. He was incredible malnourished so we sent him food not realizing who he was."

"Your patronus," Snape states in sudden understanding.

"It changed when I stopped hating him and my feelings turned to resentment. I'll tell you that _that_ was a wonderful realization."

"You writing him back?" he asks with a smile.

"Eventually," I reply. "Along with George and Remus…possibly not in that order. However, either way, not now."

"And why not now?"

"Because," I reply, standing up and changing my clothes with a wave of my wand to shorts and a tank top over a sport's bra. "It is a beautiful summer day, one in the afternoon, and I have yet to take a run here."

Snape looks at me in confusion. "Run?"

"You know," I reply with a smirk. "Like walking, only faster." He glares at me and I roll my eyes. "Exercise is a hobby of mine. Lame, I know. And yes- muggle-like."

"How long will you be?" He asks, standing up from my bed.

I shrug in response. "An hour, maybe," I reply, stretching on the floor before my bed. "Possibly more or less seeing as my last bit of exercise was the last Quidditch match."

He nods at me and makes to the door, pausing before he gets there to turn back at me. "Be careful and try not to get lost." I watch as he leaves the room and I grab my running shoes from the wardrobe and tie them tightly to my feet.

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"So you _can_ step into the sun," I state, running back up to the Manor where Snape is sitting in a chair in the back lawn, reading a book. "I was beginning to think you were a vampire."

"Not quite," he replies looking up at me and raising an eyebrow. "Is there a reason that you're shirtless?"

"I'm wearing a sport's bra," I reply, using the tank top that I had tucked into my shorts to wipe off my forehead. "This is how I usually run…I didn't realize that you lived near the Zabinis- I ran into Blaise down the way."

He nods at me. "They moved here about nine years ago. They're about the only family around here that I have civil interactions with, you didn't curse him, did you?"

I smile at him, "Blaise and I have been on friendly terms since first year."

"Is that a no?"

"It's a no," I reply and head upstairs to change and start writing some letters.

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	4. Visit From Draco

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I look around in confusion as the doorbell rings; almost falling off the ladder I was using to look at book titles that were out of my reach. I take the curse book I had been looking for off the shelf and slowly climb down the ladder as footsteps approach. As I reach the last rung, Snape comes into view and following behind him are Lucius and Draco.

"Lucius, Draco," I state, nodding to each of them and placing the book on the table where I had been working on my summer homework.

"Lucius has asked me to care for Draco until tomorrow as he does some urgent business. When I told him that you would be here as well, he wished to greet you," Snape states.

I raise my eyebrows at Draco before walking towards them, stopping before Lucius. "I am most gracious," I say looking at him as he grins.

He takes my hand and places a kiss on it. "As I am always gracious for your presence, Miss Black."

"You are, as usual, far too kind, sir." I reply, and both Snape and Draco watch our interaction in interest.

"No such thing for someone of similar status," he says and looks back up at Snape. "I should be going Severus."

With a nod towards Draco, they both exit from the room. "I never knew that you were such an ass kisser," Draco says with a grin.

"To very few people…so what are you doing here?"

Draco shrugs. "My father and mother need to get out of the country until tomorrow and Snape agreed to take me for them. So what have you been up to?"

"Not very much," I reply. "Reading and homework mostly."

"Sounds exciting."

"It can be," I say, walking over to the table I was at. "Some of these books are pretty amazing."

"Snape's actually letting you read them?" He asks, walking over towards me.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I've stayed here a couple times before," Draco replies. "And he always had me check with him before I read anything."

"Probably has to do with age…but then it wouldn't make sense for him to allow me to read whatever I wanted…"

I shrug as Snape comes walking back into the library. "You two ready for dinner?"

"I already ate, Sir," Draco states and Snape looks at me. I shrug in response.

"I had Bauble set the table for three; you can at least attempt to eat something." He says gesturing us out of the library. Draco and I follow Snape into the dining room, choosing seats across from each other; Snape to my right and to Draco's left.

"You must feel pretty lucky," I tell Snape with a smile. "Two teenagers to spend some time with outside of school."

"Yes," he says, cutting the chicken on his plate. "Very lucky."

"I think that was sarcasm," I say looking at Draco.

"Definitely sarcasm." he replies.

Snape sneers into his plate and I decide to leave him alone, beginning to eat my own food.

Suddenly, a giant pink bird lands in the middle of the table, missing the food by inches. The three of us look at the bird in silence as it coos, sticking its foot out for me to untie the thick letter that was attached to it.

I recognize the handwriting as my father's and frown as I untie the letter, placing it on the table and studying the bird.

"Where do you reckon that's from?" I ask Snape.

"Not this continent," he replies, watching as the bird drinks from the glass of orange juice in front of me. The bird takes one last look at me and flies out of the room.

"Who's that from?" Draco asks, pointing at the letter.

"My father,' I reply shortly, pushing my plate away from me.

Draco's eyes widen. "You're talking to him?"

"I sent him a twelve page autobiography; I'm assuming this is the response to it."

"What did you tell him?" Draco asks.

I shrug. "Just about everything. Leaving you out of it completely."

Draco looks at me in confusion. "He's your father…I'm pretty sure that he knows that I'm your brother."

I can't help laughing. "You're a Malfoy. Brother or not, and not that I really care too much, but he wouldn't like knowing that I'm friendly with you. For the same reason that Remus didn't tell him that I was staying here, I didn't tell him that we're on good terms. As it is, he's probably thinking that I have a shrine to the Dark Lord after telling him that I've spent time with his mother."

"My father was afraid of your grandmother."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Afraid?"

He nods at me. "Apparently she was good at punishments."

"Yeah," I reply. "That she was. A big fan of the Cruciatus Curse."

Snape's been studying our conversation in silence until now. "She used it on you?"

I shrug at him. "It was no big deal."

"Of course it was," he says angrily. "How old were you?"

"I don't remember when she first started to use it," I reply. "But she taught me to use it when I was five."

"On who?" He asks, aghast.

"Her House Elf," I say, looking down at the table. "Highly loyal creature. I believe he's been living on his own since she died, probably taking orders from her portrait."

"You never told me that you've had the Cruciatus curse used on you," Snape says gently.

"I was told it was part of being pureblood."

Draco shakes his head. "That's older pureblood mentality. Proving that you're strong enough to carry your name…that died out _centuries_ ago. My father threatens to bring it back every so often, but even he doesn't."

"Certainly explains why my father ran away from home," I reply bitterly.

"And why my father's so taken to you," Draco states with a grin.

"I believe he also thinks that we'll be married."

"Are you saying that we won't be?" Draco asks, pretending to be hurt.

Snape laughs at Draco's remark to my surprise, and tells us to go do something if we were done eating. We head back to the library and I turn music on using my computer.

"What's that?" Draco asks.

"Oh no," I reply quickly. "It's Muggle music. Run for your life! Save yourself!"

"Fuck you," he replies with a laugh. "I meant who it is. I'm not completely Muggle ignorant."

"It's Don McLean, American Pie…and how are you not Muggle ignorant?"

"My mother taught me their dances."

"You can dance?" I ask with a smile.

"Of course I can. Are you telling me that you can't?"

"Never have," I reply. "Just that once in Hogsmeade."

Draco looks at me in confusion. "How have you never danced?"

I shrug at him and he smiles. "Turn the music up," he states.

I do as he told me and he gestures me towards the middle of the library floor. I stop in front of him and he grins at me. "Place your left hand on my waist, towards the back."

I raise my eyebrows at him and he takes my hand, placing it for me. He places his own hand on the small of my back and clasps my other hand in his own, and begins to move me in a dance. I look down at my feet, so I don't step on him, and he tells me not to. "Don't worry about your feet, the guy leads the dance, just follow along."

After several moments I don't feel as awkward and begin to get the hang of it. "This feels so incestuous," I say with a smile.

"I can't say it looks any different either."

"Funny, Severus," Draco states, looking towards the doorway where Snape was leaning against the frame.

"You're missing a few steps, Taylor," Snape says, entering the room.

I glare at him. "Probably because I have no clue what I'm doing."

He smiles at me and walks over to us, nodding at Draco to move aside. He takes my hand and places my other hand in the same position that Draco had. He's a decent amount taller than Draco, but he's a better leader and I no longer find myself tripping over my own feet.

When the song is over, Snape smiles and nods at me, removing his hands from my waist and hand. "Most wizards are taught how to dance," he states, sitting in a chair at the table where my computer is now playing 'In My Life' by the Beatles. "I didn't know that you were a fan of Muggle music. There's a record player in the living room- I have a decent collection…plenty of Beatles."

Draco and I both look at him in surprise. "How'd you get into Muggle music?" I ask.

His facial expression looks sad for a moment but he shakes it off. "An old friend I had while at school."

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	5. Stronger

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**Believe it or not, summer break means I'm more busy than uni….**

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"What are you doing up?"

I jump, nearly spilling the cup of tea I was holding, and turn to the doorway of the living room where Snape is standing. I can't help smiling when I take in his appearance; a tight black t-shirt and grey sweatpants. His shoulder length hair strewn about his face.

"I'm always up at this time," I say as he sits in the chair to the right of the couch I am in, conjuring himself a cup and pouring it full of tea from the kettle I had placed on a small table to the right of the couch. "I usually stay in my room though…I go up at eleven like you want, but I usually read for a few hours, or wait until I hear you go into your room and then come down."

"It's past two though," he says glancing at his watch. "You're always still awake?"

I nod at him. "I don't tend to fall asleep until around four or after."

"So you've only been getting four hours of sleep each night for the two weeks since you've been here?"

"It's nothing new to me, Severus," I reply. "I do the same thing at school…I've been doing this since I was at the orphanage. I'd stay awake until everyone else had gone to bed to make sure I'd be safe, and wake up before they all did. It's just habit now."

"That's not healthy," he says, frowning at me.

I shrug in response. "I've been doing it for at least ten years, if not longer."

"I can brew you potion."

"If that was an issue," I say with a smile. "Do you doubt that I wouldn't have brewed some myself by now?"

He shakes his head at me, and reaches down to place his cup on the table. I catch a glimpse of his Dark Mark and frown.

"He's getting stronger," I say, and he immediately retracts his arm. The Dark Mark will be completely black when the Dark Lord is at full power. While the mark was barely visible during my first year, it's now a grey. "Is that what woke you up?" I ask.

"Yeah," he responds quietly. "He's still pretty weak though."

We sit in silence for a few moments, both of us staring into the fireplace.

"So why are you in this room?" Snape asks me. "I'm not sure that I've ever seen you in here other than when you were showing Draco what a record player was."

"You come in here a lot,' I reply. "You're not used to having someone around all the time, so I thought I'd give you privacy when you didn't come to me."

"I've been doing the same with you," he says with a smile.

I start to laugh and shake my head. "So basically, we've been avoiding each other."

"Looks that way," he replies. "For future reference, I don't mind your company."

"Ditto," I reply. With a smile, I add, "usually."

With a flick of my wrist, I clear my now empty cup away and I stand up, stretching my arms above my head. "I'm going to head to bed now," I say, walking over to him and placing my hand on his shoulder before I walk out. "It was just a matter of time before the Dark Lord began to get stronger, Severus."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

After breakfast, I go off to the library, as has been made habit for me to do during the past two weeks. Having already finished most of my summer homework and all the research needed to learn how to become an animagus, I decide to look for something to read for fun.

Glancing through the shelves, I notice that there are a fair number of books for piano, and I smile, taking a few down off the shelf and making my way into the living room, peeking around the corner first to see if Snape was there.

Finding the room empty, I walk to the far end of the room where a rather old piano sits. Sitting down on the piano bench and lifting the key cover up, I place one of the books in front of the piano and open up to Mozart's 'Fantasy in D Minor'.

I begin to play the song slowly, pausing slightly towards the middle of the song when it starts to speed up. I play over the first several bars of the middle section a few times before continuing towards the end. I make a few mistakes, missing a few flats and play naturals instead, but play the song through the end.

"Very nice."

I turn around to see Snape sitting on the couch behind me.

"How long have you been sitting there?" I ask.

"Almost since you started playing," he replies. "I didn't know that you could play piano."

"My grandmother taught me how to play," I say with a shrug. "It was the one thing that I took to when I was younger…I haven't actually played since I was seven. Remus didn't have a piano so I learned guitar. Do you play?"

He nods at me. "I learned from my mother."

"Will you play something?" I ask him.

He hesitates, but stands up, walking over to me. I stand and sit on the couch to give him the piano bench and watch as he sits and flips through the book I had been playing from. He stops at a page he likes and skims it before placing his hands on the keys, beginning what I recognize as Mozart's 'Turkish March.'

As he flawlessly makes his way through the song, I stand up so I can watch his hands quickly play each note without mistake. He doesn't even pause when the book magically flips to the next page for him so he can continue playing along with the written music.

"Wow," I state when he finishes. "That was…wow." He looks up at me with a slight smile. "Could you teach me?"

"You know how to play," he states, looking at me in confusion.

"I want to play better," I reply with a shrug. "I don't like being mediocre."

He laughs at me and shakes his head in amusement. "The only way that you could get better is with simple instruction and practice. You haven't played in what, eight years? Of course you're a bit rusty."

"Is that a no?"

"I don't think I can offer you much more than prodding, but if you get used to playing again, I can attempt to help you more."

"Okay," I say with a smile. "Thanks."

He stands up and gestures towards the book on the piano. "You can start with that song. It should keep you occupied for a while."

I frown at his statement. I've never attempted that song due to its difficulty. He wasn't lying when he said that it would keep me occupied.

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	6. Lestrange

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I sigh and throw my pen down on my desk, glancing at the clock that now reads 2:12pm. I pick up the parchment in front of me, and re-read the letter that I had just finished writing.

_Padfoot,_

_I appreciate your concern about my upbringing, but it's in my past and I didn't quite have the option against anything that had happened. Reprimanding me now for having spent time with your mother does absolutely nothing, and does little towards me wanting to get any closer to you than as a semi-frequent pen pal. I don't believe I had the mentality at age two through six to decide to spend time with a relative and tie to the wizarding world or not._

_You have little authority in my life to decide after about an hour of being in the same room as each other and three letters, after not being in my life for twelve years, to lecture me or to decide what I do with myself. You should also trust Moony enough that he did at least a par job of raising me for the past seven years. Granted, he also basically threw me out, but at least Dumbledore made sure that I had a place to stay for the summer. (I also chose to ignore your asking me to write him. I've yet to forgive him and I'd rather not write something that I may later regret. I've been told by several people that I've inherited the Black family temper.)_

_On a happier note, I'm enjoying week three of Summer break. The library here is amazing and I've busied myself with reading as many of the books as possible. It's only a fraction of what Grandmother had, but it's still pretty great (for those of us with the ability to read.) I've been taught how to dance (and it seems that I'm the only pureblood alive who hadn't had lessons) and I'm attempting to refine my skill at wandless magic. I have been playing piano a lot as well. I have to say, it's much easier learning from an instructor who doesn't administer the Cruciatus Curse for mistakes._

_In case you forget, Harry's birthday is soon, the 31st. I know him well enough to know that he'd be quite excited to get even a note from you._

_George asked me to say hi to you for him. I'm guessing it was sarcasm, but I'll mention it none the less. _

_'Till next time,_

_Adara._

There's a knock on my door and I tell Snape to enter.

"You're going to fall," he states, looking at my current position of leaning back on the chair's back legs.

"I'll risk that my death won't come via chair," I reply, and bring all four chair legs back to the floor. "I'm going to be heading down to Blaise's in a few minutes," I state, folding the letter to my father into thirds and tying it to Onyx's leg.

"Do you know what time you'll be back?"

I shake my head at him. "Not a clue. We didn't really plan any specifics, just meeting up and flying a bit."

"Have fun," he says, watching Onyx fly out the window. "And tell his parents that I say hello."

"Oh wow," I say with a smile. "The coveted and ever elusive greeting from Severus Snape. However will they contain themselves?"

He mutters something that sounds suspiciously like 'jackass' before leaving my room. "Goodbye to you as well," I yell after him. I quickly change and grab my broom out of my trunk, placing it in what looks like a Muggle tennis bag, and make my way through Snape's grounds, down the street a few houses, and up to the Zabini's door.

I ring the doorbell and within a few moments, Blaise's father opens the door. "Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Blaise," I reply and he studies me closely.

"What's your name?"

"Taylor."

"Taylor what?" he asks.

"Black."

His eyes widen at my answer. "Come in," he says, leading me inside and to a couch in their living room. "Blaise should be down soon, he's in the shower." He sits across from me, watching me closely.

"So you're friends with Blaise from school?" he asks.

I shrug at him. "Yeah, we're not incredibly close. I met him through Draco."

His eyes narrow a small bit and I realize his curt demeanor towards me.

"Sir," I states slowly. "I wasn't raised by my family and I don't support the Dark Lord. I'm not very close with your son because I'm in Gryffindor, not because of any other reason."

He smiles at me and visibly relaxes. "Sorry," he states. "My wife and I don't always like where he's been sorted. Especially being in Malfoy's year. She was in Slytherin, his father is two years older than us."

"Understandable," I reply, smiling back at him.

"So you ended up in Gryffindor," he states. "I think that you and your father are the only Blacks to ever do that."

"You knew my father?"

He nods at me. "I was two years older than him and in the same house. I was also a prefect so it was my job to keep him and his friends out of as much trouble as possible so we didn't lose too many points."

"Didn't work very well, did it?"

"No," he says through laughter. "I remember one time, he lost a bet to Potter and asked McGonagall to be the mother of his children in front of the whole school during the Halloween feast…I think that was the only time I ever saw lose her guard and crack up laughing."

I shake my head and look down at my hands in my lap.

"How long have you been here?"

I turn around to see Blaise rushing down the stairs. "Not that long," I reply. "I've just been talking to your father."

"Ready to fly?"

"Sure," I reply, standing up and picking up my broom. I turn to Mr. Zabini, "it was nice talking to you, Sir. Severus also asked me to say hello for him."

He thanks me and I follow Blaise out the back door of the house to a large shed where he takes out his broom. I drop my bag and pull out my Nimbus 2001.

"You're not using your Firebolt?" he asks me in surprise.

I shake my head at him. "It gives me an advantage in games, but I'm used to my Nimbus. I'm more comfortable with it."

"You know that everyone in the World Cup will be using a Firebolt?"

"I don't believe that I'm in the World Cup," I reply with a smile.

"Touché."

"So what do you want to do? Race?"

"Sure," he replies. "To Snape's and back?"

"You're on," I reply.

We both mount our brooms and Blaise counts off. "Three…Two…" He kicks off before he reaches one, and I swear before kicking off after him. I near him and as he turns around after reaching Snape's house, I kick off hard on the side of the house, giving me extra acceleration, and soon leading him back to his own house.

"I was just beat by a girl," Blaise says, landing back on the ground.

"After Quidditch practices three to five times a week since the middle of first year I should have beat you," I reply. "And by a lot more than that."

"Maybe you're not as good as you think you are," he says with a grin.

"Bullshit," I state, hovering a few feet above the ground and hanging from my broom by my knees. "I'm damn good."

"Well you're egotistical."

"Only falsely," I state, falling from my broom and landing at his feet.

He laughs and helps me back to my feet. "I know you're only joking," he replies. "But I don't think that most people do."

"I think that I've proven that I could care less what most people think."

"Like being a Gryffindor and living with the head of Slytherin house?" he asks.

"Few people know that I'm here," I reply. "But yeah…something like that. Not many people in my house like me anyway, so it really wouldn't matter much."

"You're a Black," he says with a shrug. "Can you picture Malfoy in Hufflepuff…or Gryffindor for that matter?"

"I think his father would have killed him first."

Blaise laughs and mounts his broom, "what do you say you allow me some redemption?"

"I say, good luck."

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"So you're in Gryffindor?" Mrs. Zabini asks me from my left at the dinner table. Blaise is sitting across from me, his father to my right.

"I am," I reply.

"Funny," she replies. "In my day at school it was frowned upon for Gryffindors and Slytherins to speak to each other, other than insults."

"You married a Gryffindor," I reply with a smile.

"And don't think I never heard the end of it from my friends and family," she states. "My brother Rodolphus was especially difficult to stop from cursing us both. Rabastan chose to simply not talk to me anymore."

I drop my fork loudly on my plate in surprise and Blaise looks at me curiously. "Sorry," I say slowly, picking my fork back up. Rodolphus Lestrange is married to my aunt Bellatrix.

"I see you know of my brother," Mrs. Zabini says with a small hollow laugh.

"You don't like Lucius Malfoy, right?"

"Hate him. We avoid him like the plague but what does that have to do with my brother?" She answers.

"Well," I start slowly, looking at both Mr. and Mrs. Zabini before raising my eyebrows at Blaise who already knew where I was going. "Narcissa Malfoy is my mother."

The table is silent for a moment before Mrs. Zabini starts laughing. "I suppose that means Rodolphus is your uncle then."

"Right," I reply.

"And Malfoy has no idea?" Mr. Zabini asks me.

I shake my head. "Lucius has no idea. Draco knows though."

"So your father and-"

"No," I reply quickly with a smile. "After Regulus died, my father was the only Black left in line for inheritance. My grandmother, having disowned him, wasn't too pleased with this and demanded that he had a child…a pureblood child…so she convinced Narcissa to do it."

"I'm surprised that your father went with it," he states.

"Well, you know as well as anyone who went to school with him that he wasn't one for commitment, and apparently he wanted a child without a wife."

Mr. Zabini smiles. "That certainly sounds like the Sirius Black I went to school with."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"What's wrong?" Blaise asks when we reach Snape's door.

"Nothing," I lie, giving him a hug goodbye. "I'm just tired."

"I'll see you soon then," he states and begins walking back towards his house.

I open the door and close it with a sigh, dropping my bag beside me on the floor and leaning my back up against the door.

"What's wrong with you?" Snape asks, walking out of the library.

"Nothing," I reply, summoning my bag upstairs to my room. Snape studies me closely and I walk around him, going into the living room and sitting down at the piano, where I start playing Mozart's 'Turkish March.'

When I finish the song, I feel a hand on my right shoulder and I continue to stare intently at the music in front of me.

"I've got a letter to write," I say quickly and rush up stairs, throwing my self on my bed and covering my head with my pillow.

Spending the least seven years with Remus, I haven't had much contact with people who were ever semi close to any of my relatives, let alone actually related. Blaise's mom being a Lestrange really took me by surprise.

I hear footsteps approaching and they stop when they reach my bed. The end of my bed lowers, telling me that Snape has sat on it.

"It doesn't look like you're writing a letter."

"Aren't you observant."

"What's wrong?" he asks, pulling the pillow from my face.

I sigh and sit up, hugging my knees to my chest. "It's just…after finding out that my father was innocent…I kind of forgot how evil the rest of my family was…and _is_. Today just brought that all back to me."

He nods at me. "I suppose you found out that Rebecca is a Lestrange?"

"When she mentioned her brother…it threw me right back to my first year. Trying to get Neville to even look at me, him knowing that the Lestranges were simply my cousins…and then meeting Oliver's mom…it seems that people hate me more for simply being cousins with Bellatrix than anything else."

"The Longbottoms were well liked," he states. "Even Dark wizards admired them for their skill. What Bellatrix did was unexpected and a great disturbance for the drive behind those against the Dark Lord."

"I know," I reply. "I just wish I wasn't judged for someone that I don't even know," I say, resting my head on my knees.

He moves closer to me and strokes my hair. "Do you remember what you asked me after your first potions class? About me not judging you for my past relationship with your father?"

I look up at him and nod.

"Why don't you try that with the other students in your year and house? It's obviously worked for several of them."

I don't reply and he leans towards me to kiss my forehead and I watch as he leaves the room.

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	7. Path to Being a Death Eater

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**Sorry I suck at updating, but I promise if you hound me via reviews I'll get to it. I do read my e-mails….**

**Chapter 7!!**

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"I've got to get some supplies from Diagon Alley, do you want to stay here or come with me?"

"Would you mind if I came?" I ask.

Snape rolls his eyes at me. "If I minded, I wouldn't have asked you if you wanted to come."

"You never know with you," I mutter, finishing wrapping the Quidditch pitch model I had bought for Harry through mail order. "Just let me write quick note."

"Finally writing to Lupin?"

I pause for a moment before reaching for my pen. When not required to use a quill, I avoid it at all costs. "No, Harry…and how'd you find out I hadn't replied to him yet?"

"He wrote me," Snape replies. "And believe me, I could do without communicating with him."

"Well you can tell him I'm not planning on writing back," I state, tying Harry's gift and note to Snape's owl Ceres. Onyx was still in route either to or from my father.

"I think he's realized that, seeing as he wrote to me and not you."

I shrug and watch Ceres get smaller and smaller from the window. "We going now?"

He nods at me and I take my moneybag out of a drawer in my desk. "I hate Floo, so I thought we'd do side-along."

"No complaints here," I reply. "No chance in you letting me apparate by myself?"

Snape frowns at me. "You shouldn't even know how to apparate."

"It's not like I tried to," I reply. "It was a complete accident."

"Well the answer's no," he states, gesturing me out of the room. I follow him down the staircase and to the front step where I grab hold of his arm. With a pulling feeling, I quickly find myself facing Diagon Alley.

"Do you happen to know what books I'll need for this year?" I ask him.

He shakes his head at me as we walk towards the potion supple store. "The bookstore should know, though."

Walking into the store, we both pick up a basket, taking what we both need off the shelves. I go to the student section, getting what I need to refill my potion's kit from third year and some new ingredients needed for next year. I grab several more ingredients for more complex potions and bring my basket to the front of the store to pay.

I wait for Snape to pay for his ingredients, watching the masses of people walk by on the street through the window.

"Bookstore then?" Snape asks, as we walk out of the store.

"Yeah," I reply. "I might as well get all my school supplies now while we're here. As long as you don't mind."

"Since when would you care?" he asks with a grin. "And I figured as much."

The witch behind the counter at the bookstore tells me that the only required new textbook is _The Standard Book of Spells; Grade Four_. I pick that book up and look around the shelves for an advanced Transfiguration book to help me in attempting to become an animagus. Seeing as I could already perform wandless magic, it should only take a few months more of research and attempts.

"That book is beyond N.E.W.T. level," Snape says, reading over my shoulder.

"What's your point?" I reply, walking towards the counter.

"My point is," he states as I pay for the book. "You have no need to be reading it."

I smile at him; placing the books in the bag I had my potion ingredients in. "I also have no _need_ to be reading any of the books in your library."

He doesn't respond and we leave the store walking towards an accessory shop where I can buy some parchment and quills. Entering the store, Snape stops short in an isle before a man I had never seen before.

"Nott," he says, shortly.

"Severus," he replies with a smile, holding out his hand. "What brings you here?"

Snape nods in my direction after shaking hands with Nott. Nott looks at me in curiosity.

"I don't believe we've met," he says, holding his hand out.

I hesitate slightly before grasping it. "Taylor Black."

He smiles and looks to Snape quickly before turning back to me. "Ah, Miss Black," he says slowly. "Lucius speaks very highly of you. That is certainly a high compliment indeed. I look forward to seeing you frequently in what may perhaps be the near future."

"Thank you, Sir," I reply. Nott says goodbye to the both of us and walks over to his son, Theodore, who's in my year but in Slytherin."

"Lovely," I state when they leave the store, walking over to the parchment. "Just what I need in my life. A marriage to my brother and a one way ticket to Azkaban for conspiring to be a Death Eater."

"Keep your voice down," Snape says from beside me. "Death Eaters aren't recruited by anyone other than the Dark Lord, although, it probably doesn't help that you're friendly with some of them. Especially with Mad-Eye teaching Defense at Hogwarts this year."

I almost drop my bag. "Please tell me that you're joking."

"I only wish," Snape replies. "But apparently Dumbledore thought that with recent events, having him at the school would be a good idea. And with the tri-wizard tournament being held at Hogwarts this year, Mad-Eye could hardly pass up the offer."

"So it wasn't a rumor?" I ask, in reference to the tournament.

He shakes his head. "The headmaster sent me an owl yesterday."

"Joy," I state sarcastically. "I always loved the Germans and the French…should be entertaining though, as long as no one dies this time. The ministry would never hear the end of it if within a year they misplaced a Hippogriff, allowed a convict to escape and killed a student."

"And now we must deal with Mad-Eye."

"Funny," I state, walking up to the counter. "I would have thought he'd be more of a liability than an asset to the ministry."

"Well Fudge certainly isn't the brightest wizard alive," he states. "Need anything else?" he asks when we're outside the store.

"I don't believe so," I reply. "Not necessarily right now, anyway."

"Let's get back and have some lunch then."

I nod at him and grab hold of his left arm as he apparates us to outside his house. Leaning against Snape's door is Dumbledore.

Snape raises an eyebrow at the headmaster as he lets us both inside.

"Severus, Taylor, how lovely to see you both."

I nod at Dumbledore, choosing not to verbally reply to him. After three years, I'm still not sure how to react when in his company.

"What brings you here, Albus?" Snape asks him suspiciously.

"That somewhat involves both of you, actually," he replies. "Can we sit somewhere?"

Snape nods and leads us into the living room. Before following, I summon my bag into my room, choosing to lean against the doorframe rather than sit on the couch next to Dumbledore.

He turns to me and smiles. "I'm sure that Severus has informed you that Alastor Moody will be teaching at Hogwarts this year?"

"I was just told today," I reply coldly. "And I assure you that I am way beyond thrilled."

He continues smiling at me. "I thought," he starts, looking back and forth between Snape and I. "That I would come here in person, rather than write the two of you. You see, he can be frightening enough to people on his own. I am here to ask the both of you to treat him at least respectably."

Snape nods at Dumbledore, a slight frown on his face.

"I'll take that as a yes," Dumbledore says with a grin. "Adara?"

I glare at him. "I will if he will."

The smile fades from Dumbledore's face. "Enough people will be watching him for mistakes. I am asking this as a favor from you."

"In all due respect, Sir," I state. "You're asking a rather big favor from me. Since I met him when I was seven, he has been nothing other than rude to me. Reminding me constantly that he put a number of my relatives and family friends into Azkaban, warning me that I'd be next if I live up to my name. He always has an eye on me when were even somewhat together, telling me that he'll be watching who I communicate with. He started a file against me when my father was sent to Azkaban!"

"At least promise me that you won't _start_ anything?"

"Fine," I reply.

"Jolly good," Dumbledore says with a smile. "If you don't mind, I'd like a private word with Severus."

I nod at him and leave the living room for my bedroom, grabbing the Transfiguration book from the bag from Diagon Alley, and lying on my bed to read.

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	8. Too Many Stars

**So I just got the internet back…**

**And MAY possibly have finished this story- so if you all still love me and review, you'll be seeing it.**

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_Adara,_

_I wasn't reprimanding you, I was simply voicing my concern over you being introduced to a part of the wizarding world that I had no intention of being part of your upbringing. If I sounded harsh, it was anger at me not being able to keep you from my mother and her ill beliefs and actions. As I told you at Hogwarts, I would much rather be more than a 'semi-frequent pen pal' to you. Remember, it was you who voiced otherwise._

_If you follow any bit of advice from me ever in your lifetime, I'll ask you to please let it be allowing Moony back into your life. I have written him and he is sincerely sorry for the way in which he has treated you. I do not know all of what transpired as he is quite the private person and hesitant to tell me much in fear that I might be upset at him as he is your godfather and I trusted him to look after you. He has had enough hardship in his life to go through without having the girl he thinks of as a daughter completely shut him out._

_By the time you get this, it should be week four of your summer break. I have to say, I am unable to hide the fact that I'm slightly disappointed that you're the book worm type. And if your comment about 'those with the ability to read' was a dig at me, I assure you I am far from illiterate, although Moony might have told you otherwise._

_I am curious, however, as to who taught you to dance. It seems, from your letter, that you are in the company of a pureblood. Not that all are evil, but a great portion of them are. I know that Moony would never place you anywhere you'd be in danger, but as he refuses to tell me where you happen to be, I cannot say that I am not at least a small bit worried._

_It seems that my mother taught you piano using the same measures that she instituted on my brother and I. If that is the case, I'm sure that you can understand why I never wished you to spend any time with her. I hadn't seen her from the time I was sixteen on apart from Regulus' memorial service and the day you were born._

_Thank you for the reminder of Harry's birthday. I forgot how much older you are than Harry, even though you are in the same year. That must mean that your half-brother is in your year as well. Did my mother make you aware of who your mother is?_

_Granted, I probably lack the authority in your opinion to ask this, but I am wondering about your relationship with the Weasley boy. The one that I saw you dancing with; George I take it…I believe he has a twin. I knew his parents well at one point, and I'd like to know how the two of you got together._

_I hope all continues to be well,_

_Padfoot._

"You're dating George Weasley?" Snape asks, putting the letter down.

"Not yet," I reply with a frown, reading over my potions homework for the summer. "Are you sure you can't help me write this?"

"Yes, and what do you mean 'not yet'?"

I sigh and place the paper down on the table in the library that we were currently sitting at. "I believe 'not yet' means that we are not yet dating. Pretty self explanatory if you ask me."

"It suggests that you will be," Snape replies with a grin.

"And?" I ask, glaring down at the potion book in front of me.

"Well I just find it amusing that you'd choose the most obnoxious student in the school to date."

"You'd say that about any Gryffindor," I reply. "And are you telling me that I'm third for the most obnoxious?"

"Actually," he states. "I'd say runner up. Weasley, you and other Weasley."

"Would you like to define which Weasley you're referring to?"

"No," he replies with a smile. "I think any of the male ones fit there."

I shake my head at him. "You know, professors aren't supposed to have favorites."

"But they all do."

I don't reply and Snape picks the letter back up. "If I ask you a question will you answer?"

"Depends."

"The pen pal comment…what did you voice otherwise?"

"It's not important," I state, gathering the books and parchment on the desk into a pile, placing it back into the school bag I had taken them out of.

"Then why are you about ready to run away from me?"

I drop my bag and slam my elbows down on the table, resting my head in my hands. "What do you care about something my father wrote to me?"

"Because whatever he is referring to upset him, and obviously upsets you. "So," he replies. "I would like to know what it is. We have gone over time and time again that bottling things up will just hurt you more."

"I already told Fred and George...and Remus, Harry, Ron and Hermione were there…technically so were you."

"So you should have no issue telling me," he says slowly.

I remove my hands from my face and I look at him. "When we were leaving he shack," I start quietly. "My father thought that he was going to be free. Pettigrew was attached to Remus and Ron…we were heading back to the castle before the clouds shifted and Remus transformed. My father told Harry that he's his godfather, and now that he was free he'd like Harry to live with him."

I pause and look down at my hands. "He um…he then turned to me and told me that he'd like the chance to be my father. So…I told him that I already had a father…Remus wasn't too happy with me."

"Funny how that worked out," I state, looking back up at Snape.

"You were upset," Snape states. "People say things that they don't always mean when they're upset."

I shake my head at him. "I meant to hurt him."

"I may detest your father," Snape says awkwardly. "But I can't deny his intelligence. If he's still writing to you and wanting to get close, he knows why you said what you did…and I suggest that you stop beating yourself up for it."

"I'll have to tell him that you gave him a compliment. He'll probably die of shock."

Snape smiles. "At least still have your sense of humor. Whatever would I ever do if you were to lose it?"

"Possibly use less sarcasm."

"So is he and Dumbledore the only people who call you Adara?" Snape asks after a few moments of sitting in silence.

"When I moved in with Remus I asked him to call me Taylor. I wanted away from everything" I reply. "A new life of sorts. No ties to my father. Dumbledore used to stop by every so often, so he knew that I went by Taylor and never questioned it. Even my Hogwarts letter was addressed to Taylor. I doubt my father even knows…I mean- my closest friends don't know that Taylor isn't my first name."

"I just didn't feel like keeping the Black tradition," I finish. "Too many stars."

Snape smiles at me. "I'm assuming that your father named you?"

"Giving me the name of a star in the same constellation as the star 'Sirius'? What gives you that idea? My grandmother could never give me an answer as to why the star thing. Even Draco…Sirius Orion, Regulus Arcturus, Aunt Andromeda, Uncle Alphard, Bellatrix, Rastaban, Cygus, Belvina, Lycoris, Pollux, Cassiopeia,…it's all rather gross if you ask me. Mind you I'm still going to have to name my child Kocab, Delphini, Mirzam or Antares…something like that…poor child."

"I don't think you should be worrying about having children yet."

"Yeah, well, I think I got lucky with Ol-…um…"

"Care to finish that statement?" Snape asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Not particularly," I reply, feeling my face turn red.

Snape smiles at me. "Why now, I don't think I have ever seen you blush before Taylor…who's the lucky guy?"

I glare at him and he continues smiling at me from across the table.

"You know…it's not that hard to figure out…judging by who you spend time with…would it be safe to guess that you and a particular Quidditch captain were more than just teammates?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business," I state quickly.

"It shows that you've been able to move on from a particular event in your past," Snape replies slowly, a smirk still on his face. "And to think I thought the only thing on Wood's mind was Quidditch…although…locker room?"

I look down at the table, biting my lip and completely mortified at this conversation. "Captain's office."

With my answer, he cracks up laughing and I quickly stand up from the table and run upstairs, shutting myself in my room.

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	9. Dark Humour

**AND- Here's another.**

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Concentrating hard, I read the book before me slowly and carefully before attempting the first step for becoming an animagus; transforming a hand or a foot. I choose my left hand and breathe in deeply, fully concentrating on becoming an animal.

Almost instantly, there is a warm sensation in my hand and I nearly jump back from my desk when I see the black dog paw that is now my left hand.

"Bloody hell," I mutter, looking at my hand. Of all the animals, it figures that I would be the same as my father. I attempt to move what used to be fingers and watch my paw in curiosity, feeling it with my other hand. I turn it back into my hand and close the book just as Snape knocks in my door and enters.

"What are you doing?" He asks, watching as I open and close my left fist.

"Nothing," I reply, looking up at him, putting my hand down at my side. "What's up?"

He studies me closely but doesn't ask anything further. "Dumbledore has requested a faculty meeting. He's told me that you're welcome to join if you wish."

"Okay," I reply. "When?"

"About a half hour. I suggest bringing something to read."

I watch as he leaves the room and I make my way to the wardrobe so I can change out of the gym clothing I was currently wearing. Choosing a miniskirt and a tank top, I dress and comb my hair out, deciding to leave it down.

I pick up the Transfiguration book I had been reading from along with a self-sharpening pencil that I use to take notes in book margins and I head downstairs.

"So what do you need a faculty meeting for?" I ask, sitting next to him on the living room couch.

"Six P.M, August the first, every year," he replies, dropping the copy of the 'Daily Prophet' he had been reading. "Nothing but an incredible waste of time…going on about better teaching methods and introducing any new faculty members and guidelines, but apparently it's been tradition since the school's founding."

"Sounds like fun," I reply and I earn a glare in return as Snape stands up.

"We should get going," he states, taking a cloak off the back of his armchair. "We have to apparate to Hogsmeade and walk from there. You might want to bring a cloak."

I shake my head at him. "No, I'm hot."

"You look a bit flushed," he states, looking at me closely. "Could you have a fever?"

"It's summer," I say with a laugh. "I'm fine."

He nods at me but still looks skeptic. "Come on, then."

I stand up and follow him outside to the front step where I grab hold of his arm tightly, holding my book and pencil in my other hand. With a pull forward, I feel my feet leave the ground, and then suddenly collide back with it.

We set off for the castle, following the same path that the school uses for visits when permitted. When we make it to the door, Snape waves his wand over it a few times before pulling it open and gesturing me inside before him.

I follow Snape to the Great Hall where several teachers were already seated at one of the large house tables that had been placed in the middle of the Hall.

"I'll sit away from everyone towards the middle, so you can sit near me and not have to deal with anyone."

"Thanks," I reply, following Snape to the middle of the table and sitting directly across from him.

I try to avoid making eye contact with anyone as the table fills up, opening my book in front of me and underlining important passages, making a few notes of what I have learned elsewhere.

"Anything interesting?" A voice asks from behind me.

I turn to see Professor McGonagall behind me, giving a large smile to Snape before meeting me eyes.

"Just a Transfiguration book," I reply, turning back round.

To my surprise and slight annoyance, she sits down beside me, looking over my shoulder at my notes I had written in the margine. "I never realized that you actually paid attention to my lectures, you've quoted me almost word for word."

I shrug at her. "I always listen…I just find most of it easy so I fool around a lot."

"Easy?" she asks me astounded.

"I keep telling her to stop reading beyond N.E.W.T. level," Snape states from across the table. "Do you realize that she has non verbal spells mastered?"

"That's sixth year at least!" she states, looking at Snape with wide eyes to see if he was telling her the truth. "How do you manage doing all your work and learning ahead?"

"I don't do all my work," I reply, still reading my book. "I only do the assignments that I think will help me, and skip the rest. I'd rather a detention than useless work."

She takes the book from me, making me look up at her. "What?"

"You are a student! It is up to your professors to deem what assignments will help you, and you're expected to do them."

"So give me an assignment right now," I reason. "I promise you, if I cannot complete it, I will turn in each and every homework assignment you give me this term."

"Fine," she states sternly, closing my book and placing it into the middle of the table. "Change that into a live animal…without speaking. If you're as advanced as you think you are, it should be no problem."

"You may want to give her something more difficult," Dumbledore says from behind us.

I turn around and see that he has a smile on his lips.

"You mean that she can?" McGonagall asks him.

"Why don't you answer that, Taylor?"

I take out my wand from my back pocket, and with a flick of my wrist, the book turns into a small penguin. "My grandmother used to send me books," I begin to explain. "When I was at the orphanage. I didn't have any friends so I spent most of my time alone, where I could read. I didn't have a wand, but I had learned to control my accidental magic, so most of what I've been taught here so far, I've already learned but am simply refining it."

The penguin almost waddles off the table, so I turn it back into the book. "It's not normal…and I'm treated differently enough so I don't show off what I can do. That's the main reason why I skip so many homework assignments. Most people just take me as a trouble maker when they're not asking me for extra help before exams."

There's a loud clunk from the entrance and we all turn to see Moody standing in the doorway.

"Ah," Dumbledore states loudly. "Now that we're all here, we can begin."

He walks to the front of the table and sits so he can see each of his staff members. Snape slides my book across the table to me with a raised eyebrow and I quickly open it as Moody sits down to Dumbledore's right, his magical eye watching Snape and I closely.

"Welcome all," Dumbledore says, cheerfully.

There are a few scattered greetings around the table (minus one from Snape) and Dumbledore continues.

"For those of you who are unfamiliar, this is Alastor Moody," he says, pointing towards Moody. "He will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor after Remus Lupin's resignation at the end of last term."

A few professors glance down the table to Snape, him having been the person to have exposed Remus as a werewolf. Following their gaze down the table, Dumbledore smiles at me. "As you can see, Miss Black is joining us at tonight's meeting. As she is in the care of Severus for the summer break, I have permitted her to sit in."

I give a small wave of my hand, earning a few smiles from some of the faculty. It amazes me the difference between my first year and now with how the professors treat me.

I look back down at my book as Dumbledore begins talking about the upcoming school year. Engrossed in the book, I don't look up until I hear my name.

"What?" I ask Snape. He gestures to the head of the table where the entire staff was staring at me.

I give a small smile. "I have a feeling that I missed something."

Flitwick nods at me. "Alastor was asking about specific students, and we've agreed that you are one of the brightest in the school."

"That's very nice," I say awkwardly. "But I assure you that Alastor already has his own opinion of me."

"And it is far from rashly made," he growls.

I look pointedly at Dumbledore who frowns down at Moody before turning back to me. "Well, maybe you can change that."

I shrug at him and look at Snape, raising my eyebrows. He shakes his head at me and gives me a small smile, not going un-noticed by Dumbledore.

"Why Severus," he states with a large grin. "Was that a smile I just saw on your face?"

Snape scowls at him without a response. Dumbledore stands, signaling the end of the meeting and Snape gestures to me, wanting to get out of the Hall as quickly as possible.

I follow Snape to the doorway just as I hear Moody clomping behind us. "Leaving without a greeting?"

Snape stops walking, and as I was following directly behind him, I crash into him. He turns around and glares at me before turning to Moody. "Can I help you?"

I turn to see Moody grinning at Snape. "I just thought being colleagues was deserving of a greeting."

"Hello then," Snape replies curtly. "Shall that be all?"

I have to stifle a laugh and Moody studies me with both of his eyes. "So we meet again, Black. How long has it been?"

"Hardly long enough, I expect."

"You've certainly inherited that _Dark_ sense of humor."

Before I accidentally find myself cursing him, I turn around and walk out of the Hall, deciding to wait for Snape at the front stairs, sitting down on the bottom most step.

I look towards the Hall when I hear footsteps approaching. When Dumbledore and Snape come into view, I sigh. "I tried, okay. A few years ago I probably would have regretted anything I'd have done…or more, you would have regretted anything I'd have done."

"A valiant effort that did not go un-noticed," Dumbledore states with a grin. As I stand up he holds out his hand to me. Looking at him in confusion, I take his hand. When he stops shaking it, he leans down to whisper in my ear. "Never doubt that people are proud of you. You have grown into a remarkable young woman."

He stands back up and I stare at him in shock as he ignores my stare and says goodbye to Snape until the start of term. I nod at him, not quite trusting my voice to speak and he smiles at me as I follow Snape out of the door.

"So what did the Headmaster have to say to you?" Snape asks as we walk down the front steps.

"Um…people are proud of me and I'm a remarkable young woman."

"Do you doubt him?" Snape asks.

I shrug and kick a stray rock on the path we were taking down to Hogsmeade.

"Well you shouldn't," Snape states. "The Headmaster is entirely correct in his observations."

"I think you're both off your rocker."

Snape suddenly stops walking and turns to face me. "You have the power and ambition to be a great witch. The only thing you're lacking is self confidence. You pretend to be confident for the annoyance of others."

"I'm confident."

"No," he replies. "You're not and you should be. You're very like me when I was your age. Studying ahead so nothing catches you off guard…and missing your own greatness."

"I'm a fourteen year old girl," I reply. "You should be telling me _not_ to be over confident and to work relentlessly on my studies."

"You're not over confident," he states, grasping onto my arm and apparating us back to his house. "You're not even a fraction of that."

"I don't see what it matters."

"It does," he says, opening the door and gesturing me inside. "Confidence can be the difference between life and death."

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	10. Visit From Oliver

**Right- bet you thought I abandoned this one. Well I didn't- I just graduated Uni so it's been a difficult year, but hey! Fanfiction stands at the door:**

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The fireplace glows green and Oliver lands on the floor in front of me.

"Hey," he says sheepishly as I help him to his feet and he wraps me in a tight hug.

"Nice landing," I say with a smile as I slowly let go of him, missing the feel of his arms around me.

I can see the blush reach his cheeks. "I was thinking it would be a longer trip."

He takes a step towards me and places his arms around my waist, pulling me close. "I've missed you," he says with a sad smile.

I bring my hands up and clasp them behind his neck as he tilts his head down to rest his forehead on mine. "I've missed you too," I reply, smiling as his lips touch my own.

Snape clears his throat from the doorway and Oliver jumps away from me in alarm, looking nervously at his former potions professor.

"Sir," he states awkwardly.

Snape stares at him for a moment before turning to me. "A word in the hall, please."

I give Oliver an encouraging smile before following Snape out into the hall.

"Are you trying to scare him?" I ask with a frown.

"Yes," he replies. "I will be gone for about two hours and I don't need anything happening in my absence."

I roll my eyes at him. "Nothing is going to happen that hasn't already."

"That's not encouraging."

"I'll see you later, Sir," I say with a smile.

"Sir?"

I shrug at him and walk back into the parlor where Oliver was now sitting on the couch.

"I'll be back sometime around four," Snape states, following me into the room. "I'll trust you both to behave yourselves."

"Yes, Severus," I say with a sigh, watching as he walks out of the room to leave the house for apparition.

"So Oli," I state, standing in front of him, holding my hands out to pull him up from the couch. "What do you want to do?"

He grins at me before walking behind me, hugging me from behind. "I'm not sure," he says, trailing a set of kisses down my neck.

"Mmm," I say softly, pulling away from him. "Follow me."

He follows behind me quietly as I lead him upstairs to my room where he pulls me down onto the bed and lays himself on top of me.

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"I have to say," I state when I catch my breath and Oliver rolls off me. "The bed…much more comfortable than the captain's chair."

Oliver starts laughing and I lean over to rest my head on his chest, wrapping my right arm around his waist.

"How have you been?" he asks me quietly.

I pause for a moment and then sigh. "I'm not exactly positive," I reply as he runs his hand through my hair. "I've been writing back and forth to my father."

"How's that going?"

"As good as expected," I state, feeling my eyes grow heavy.

"It'll work out," Oliver says, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "If you want it to."

"Yeah," I reply softly, closing my eyes.

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At the sound of the door closing, Oliver and I quickly jump up from the bed and dress in a hurry. As I try to straighten my hair out, there is a knock at the door. I take a deep breath and open it to where Snape is standing, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Hey," I state awkwardly. Snape looks to me and then over my shoulder to where Oliver is sitting on my bed.

"Have a good time?" Snape asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Most definitely," I state, sending a glare at him.

"Dinner's in an hour," he states, turning his back towards us and walking down the stairs.

"Don't worry," I state, walking back over to Oliver. "He _probably_ won't poison you."

Oliver smiles at me. "That's certainly encouraging coming from a girl with her shirt on backwards."

"Fuck," I mutter, turning my shirt around. "Nothing like being blatantly obvious."

He shrugs and pulls me in between his legs where I wrap my arms around his neck. As I lean down to kiss his forehead an owl flies into the room, landing on the bed beside us.

"Who's that from?" Oliver asks as I lean over to tie the letter off Errol's leg.

"George," I reply, placing the note on my desk and bringing Errol over to Onyx's cage so the old owl can rest.

"You're not going to open it?"

I shake my head at him. "Not right now, no."

"You're not dating him, are you?" Oliver asks, seriously.

"No," I reply, sitting beside him on the bed. "But I told him that I would consider it once school starts."

Oliver nods, not saying anything.

"Oli," I state, holding his hand in mine. "I only said that I would consider it, and you're going to be busy with Quidditch. Puddlemere would be stupid to not take you."

He gives a small laugh and then sighs. "George would be nice for you."

"Hey, let's not talk about this now."

"Okay," he replies, smiling at me. "Why don't you show me your animagus form, you said you're getting pretty close."

"Not close enough," I mutter in response. "I can get about half my body."

"So let me see."

I get off the bed and stand in front of him, concentrating on my form and transforming my lower body into that of a shaggy black dog.

"See?" I ask him, placing my hands on the ground so I don't fall over. "I can't seem to get the top half."

I transform back and Oliver is smiling at me. "That's some incredibly advanced transfiguration."

"I wish I could get it all," I state, standing back in between his legs, resting my forehead on his.

"You will," he replies, tilting his head up to kiss me. "You've gotten this far."

"I guess," I reply, pushing him onto his back and climbing on top of him.

Oliver's eyes widen. "Should we be doing this with Snape right down stairs?"

I shrug as I unbutton his shirt starting at the collar and kissing my way down his chest. "Do you want me to stop?" I ask with a smirk.

He shakes his head at me and I reach for his belt.

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"So," Snape says as we sit down at the table. "I'll trust you two have had a decent time today?"

"Yup," I reply with a smile, handing the salad bowl to Oliver who looks at Snape terrified.

"Yes professor," he states quietly.

Snape raises an eyebrow at him. "I believe I am no longer your professor. 'Sir' will do fine."

"Yes sir."

I shake my head and take a bite of the chicken on the plate in front of me.

"What are your plans now that you're out of Hogwarts?"

Oliver takes a sip of water before speaking. "I've applied to be on several different professional Quidditch teams. I've been accepted to a few, but I'm holding out response until I hear from Puddlemere United."

Snape nods and it occurs to me that he's actually attempting to hold a conversation with him. I can't help the laugh that escapes at this realization. "Sorry," I state, looking down at my plate quickly.

"Is something amusing, Taylor?"

"Why no," I reply. "Nothing at all," I add with a smirk.

Oliver smiles, visibly relaxing. "What did you do to deserve getting Taylor for the summer, Sir?"

"Apparently lost a bet," he says with a slight grin.

"Remus didn't find himself fit enough to continuing raising me now that it's publicly known that he's a werewolf," I state, stabbing at the food on my plate.

Oliver frowns at me. "I know."

I look at him in confusion. "How do you already know that?"

"Hermione was worried about you when you had stopped talking to people at the end of the school year."

"So she told you?"

"She seemed surprised that I didn't already know, actually."

"I didn't want you to worry about me as well," I reply with a sigh. "I hate it when people do. Or feel bad for me. You never have and I didn't want you to start."

"If you think he doesn't worry about you, you are sorely mistaken."

I turn to Snape and look at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Snape smiles at me. "I've heard enough in classes to know that Mr. Wood here worries about you apparently more than he lets on…besides actually asking me to check on you when the Chamber of Secrets was opened."

I look across the table at Oliver who is avoiding my eyes and sigh, eating the rest of my food.

After dinner, Oliver says goodbye to Snape and I walk with him over to the living room fire where he would be flooing back to his house.

"It was great seeing you," Oliver says quietly. "I'm really going to miss you."

I nod at him and look down at my feet until he lifts my chin up with his hand. He smiles at me and rests his forehead against my own. "I love you Taylor."

I tilt my head up to kiss him on his lips. "I love you too, Oliver."

He pulls me into a tight hug before kissing me on the forehead and pulling away. I watch as he throws a handful of powder into the fireplace and disappears into the flames.

I sit down on the couch and rest my head in my hands, rubbing my eyes.

"I would have though he being here would have made you happy."

I remove my hands and look up at Snape from where he stands in the doorway. "Why are you always around when I feel shitty?"

"It seems to be habit," he states, sitting down in the armchair next to me. "Talk about it."

"I don't want to."

"That's why I didn't ask you to, I told you to"

Glaring at him, I bring my legs up to my chest, holding them tight. "I just know that today was the last time that we'll ever be together."

"I was quite curious as to why you invited him over as opposed to George Weasley."

"George still has two years of school with me," I reply with a sigh. "I'll be lucky to see Oliver once a summer now."

"You have feelings for him," State states.

"No kidding?"

His eyes narrow. "What I meant," he starts. "Is that you're already planning another relationship when you have feelings for another guy."

"I have feelings for George as well," I reply with a shrug. "And he knows about Oliver…so I'm really not worried."

"Is he aware how recently you've seen him?"

"Why do you care?" I ask him in annoyance.

"I care about you, and I'm aware that Weasley is one of the few people whom you trust. I would hate to see you lose him in your life."

Staring into the fire, I don't respond, remaining sitting when he stands up to leave the room.

"I simply suggest thinking matters through before you make any decisions."

****

**I believe I have three more chapters? I need to finish editing them, but send me some reviews and I'll have them finished soon **** -Tay.**


	11. Visit From Tonks

Thanks for all the reviews, folks! Here's Chapter 11.

****

Snape pulls the headphones from my ears as I sit in a chair in the library, finishing the small bit that is left of my summer Charms homework.

"What?" I ask in annoyance.

"There is _someone_ at the door for you," he sneers.

I look at him in confusion before standing up and walking out into the foyer where Tonks is standing, looking around at the old portraits, her bubblegum pink hair standing out against the white marble walls.

"Dora!" I exclaim, running up to her and encompassing her into a hug.

"Wotcher, girl," she says with a smile, pulling away to look at me. "How's Snape been treating you?" She asks.

"I assure you well, Nymphadora." He states, walking out from the library.

She cringes at his use of her first name but I know that she is intimidated by Snape and she doesn't reply at all.

"So why are you here?" I ask her.

"Mum wants to see you," she replies with a smile. "She seems to not like that I see you more than her and she's your aunt."

"She should be happy that she sees me more than Bellatrix, at least."

"Touchy subject."

"What time shall I expect her back around?" Snape asks Tonks with his usual sneer of dislike.

"About six, I expect," She replies. "My mother wants her for dinner."

He nods and walks out of the room towards his potions room.

"Quite personable, that one," Tonks states, watching from where Snape just exited.

"He's certainly no Remus," I reply, earning a concerned look from Tonks.

"Come on," she says, leading me out the door and apparating me to where she is currently living with her parents.

"I just put some money down on a flat just outside of London," she says as we walk up to the door. "I haven't told my parents yet, though."

When she opens the door, my Aunt Andromeda immediately wraps me in a hug.

"You've grown so much since the last time that I've seen you," she states with a large smile. Where my mother has pale skin and blonde hair, Andromeda looks more like my father and myself, dark hair and green eyes. Much like her sister Bellatrix.

"Hi Auntie Meda," I say when she lets me go.

"How are you doing?" She asks me in a concerned manner.

"Pretty good," I reply with a shrug.

She doesn't look convinced. "I hear you're living with Professor Snape for the summer?"

"Yeah," I reply. "But that's fine."

She shakes her head at me. "Dora used to write me letters about how horrible he was in class to her, and you have no issue living with him?"

"Nope," I reply with a smile. "Dora was a Hufflepuff though, Snape doesn't typically have problems with them."

"He liked telling me that I _belonge_d in Hufflepuff," Tonks says with a scowl.

"I take it potions wasn't your forte?"

"That's an incredible understatement," she responds. "I almost cried when I learned that I needed an outstanding O.W.L. in it to continue if I wanted to be an auror."

"You managed though."

"Not without two tutors," my uncle's voice sounds from the doorway.

I smile up at him. "Long time no see, Uncle Ted."

He walks over to me and shakes my hand before pulling me into a hug. "How was your third year at school?"

I pause for a moment before answering him. "Could have been better, but it certainly could have been worse. At least no one tried to kill me this year…really."

My aunt leads me over to a couch in their living room. "Dora tells me that you met your father."

"Um…yeah," I reply, awkwardly sitting down on the couch.

"I never believed it when Sirius was put in Azkaban without a trial…I knew he could have never done the things that they said he had."

I don't respond and she smiles at me. "You've been writing to him?"

"Yeah," I reply. "He said he wants a part in my life."

"You don't seem too concerned with that," my uncle says slowly.

My response is a shrug. "His name's not cleared so it's no as if we could ever really be too close. He's more of a pen pal than anything else."

"At least you have that, dear."

****

"You sure that you don't want to come in at all?" I ask Tonks as she walks with me up to Snape's doorstep. "Just sit with me in the library. We hardly ever get to talk anymore."

"You really know how to use a guilt trip, eh?"

"Yup," I say with a smile, opening the door. "Let me go tell Severus that I'm back."

Following the sounds of the piano, I walk into the living room, pausing at the doorway to hear him play. Tonks walks up beside me, a small smile on her face at watching Snape.

"Can I help you?" Snape asks, not turning around.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm back…Dora and I will be in the library for a while."

Snape doesn't reply and continues playing a song from Chopin. I lead Tonks to the library and we sit down at one of the tables.

"So," she says seriously. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, really," I reply. "Severus really does treat me well. He even let Oliver come over a few days ago."

"Oh really," she states with a raised eyebrow. "And how did that go?"

"Great," I reply with a smirk. "Severus left us alone for about two hours."

She smiles at me. "Don't spare me the details, girl."

"I don't feel right kissing and telling."

"I thought you two weren't dating anymore. Something about George Weasley? Brother of your first kiss?"

"We're not dating," I reply with a sigh. "He graduated from Hogwarts and is planning on being a professional Quidditch player so he really wouldn't have time to be with me. I'll probably never be with him again…and anyway, I'm not dating George yet. I'm simply thinking about it."

"You'd do better to get over Oliver then," Tonks says with a smile. "You're right to think it won't work out with him not being around."

"I know- it's just…difficult."

"Think about George then. Focus your mind on him rather than missing Oliver."

"I guess so."

Tonks looks like she is about to say something and then pauses, apparently thinking better of it.

"What?" I ask her.

"Have you spoken to Remus yet?" She asks quietly.

"No."

"Are you planning to at any point soon?"

"No."

She frowns at me. "He's sent me a couple of letters…He's really worried about you, you know. He told me that he's sent you a letter a day, none of which you have responded to. He's not sure that you've even read any of them."

"If he was worried about me then he shouldn't have just abandoned me."

"There's more to it than that, Taylor, and you know it."

"Not really," I respond. "If he was worried about taking care of me with he being a werewolf he should have never taken me from the orphanage in the first place."

The clock strikes seven and Tonks stands up. "I'm due for a meeting at the Ministry."

I stand up to give her a hug and she pulls away, placing her hands on my shoulders. "School starts in only a few weeks, if I don't see you before then I promise that I'll find you at Christmas. Even if I have to go to Hogwarts to do so."

I smile at her and watch as she leaves, her pink hair disappearing through the doorway.

****


	12. Diagon Alley

**And another one for you, because I edited it this morning. **

**One more chapter and then onto year 4 **** (Finally!)**

****

"Oomph," I state as I fall of the ladder onto my back. From behind me I can hear Snape laughing.

"Oh yes," I state, pushing myself up. "Friggen hilarious. Glad to know you're concerned with my well being."

"After a two foot fall from a ladder?"

I glare at him and stand back up, climbing the ladder once again to grab the book that I was originally after. I pick the old curse book from the shelf and bring it down to one of the tables where Snape sits across from me.

"What's that for?" He asks me.

"I want to refine my dueling skills," I say, flipping through the chapters looking for the non verbal spells.

Snape stands up with a smirk. "Let's see what you've got."

I raise an eyebrow at him and follow him to the middle of the room. "Go easy on me," I say innocently. "I'm only a fourteen year old girl."

He rolls his eyes at me and fires a stunning spell at me before I can even get my wand out of my back pocket. I dodge it and whip my wand out, firing a stinging hex that just misses his left arm.

He face is quite expressionless as he watches me and I get the impression that he wants to see just how advanced my magic is. He sends a spell that I have never heard of at me and I produce a shield charm, watching as the red light from his wand slowly eats away at my shield. As I send more force behind my charm, it fires Snape's own spell back at him and he has to jump out of the way in order to miss it.

I quickly retaliate while Snape is slightly off his guard and send a blasting curse at him, cringing as he hits the wall behind him I lower my wand as he slowly stands up, a scowl on his face.

"Don't fight back," he says slowly. "I want to see something."

I nod at him and watch as he points his wand at me. "_Impiro."_

Suddenly I find myself directly linked with Snape's mind. "_Sit down." _I can hear him say from within my own mind. Knowing that he was attempting to control me using an illegal curse, made it easier for me to want to disobey him. "_No_," I respond, looking at him fiercely in the eyes. He smiles at me and drops the curse.

"It's encouraging to know that along with mastering Occlumency you can also throw people out of your mind when other methods are used. It's a good skill to have."

I shrug at him. "Did you ever find anything interesting out about my blood?"

"No," he says annoyed. "I didn't. As far as any potion or spell can detect, your blood is completely normal."

"I guess that means I'm normal," I say with a smile, sitting back down at the table and re-opening the book in front of me.

"Hardly," he replies, using his wand to push the book away from me.

"You could have used you hand," I state. "This book is about as deadly as a Flobberworm."

"Get dressed," he states. "I need to get some more supplies before school starts back up. Teachers are required back three days before the students."

"Remus wasn't," I say in confusion.

"Lupin had you and a full moon to deal with, now get dressed."

I stand up and walk up the stairs to my room, quickly changing into shorts and a t-shirt, securing my wand in my back pocket and shrinking my moneybag so it can fit in one of my front pockets.

When I walk down stairs, Snape is already waiting for me by the door. I follow him outside and he takes hold of my wrist apparating us to Diagon Alley.

"Do you need anything here?" He asks as we walk away from the apparition point.

"I got everything I needed last time here except for extra parchment. How long will you be? Can I just stay in the bookstore?"

He considers me for a moment before nodding. "I should only be about 45 minutes, so that should be fine, assuming you can remain there without incident."

"You're doubting me?" I ask, feigning insult.

"Just go," he says, turning left towards a small potion ingredient store.

"Yes, Sir," I state, continuing down the road towards the bookstore.

Just as I make it to the front of the store, I hear someone call out from behind me.

"Hey Black!"

I turn around quickly to see Angelina and Alicia walking towards me, the two other Chasers on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, along with Katie Bell who had quit the team the year I joined because her parents wanted her to focus on schoolwork.

To my surprise, both Angelina and Alicia pull me into a hug. "How has your summer been?" Angelina asks me excitedly.

"Pretty good," I reply. "Long."

"Are you seriously living with Snape?" Alicia asks me.

"How'd you find out about that?" I ask in return.

The three of them look at each other quickly. "We sat with Oliver on the way back from Hogwarts."

I narrow my eyes at the three of them. "And did Oliver say anything else?"

"A little bit," Angelina says with a smirk. "I heard you gave him a pretty decent goodbye."

"Before you get pissed at him," Katie says quickly, correctly interpreting the look on my face. "We kind of forced it out of him. Although, it wasn't that hard to guess seeing as he blushed every time your name was mentioned."

"Lovely," I state. "Is anyone else aware?"

"It was only us in the compartment," Alicia replies. "And he made us swear not to tell. I'm pretty sure that he was terrified that George would find out."

"I basically told George," I say, watching as the Patil twins walk by us. "Told him I wanted to give Oliver a proper goodbye at any rate. He's not stupid, I'm sure he knows."

"Well good luck with that one," Angelina says with a smile. "I'll see you on the Quidditch field then."

"I wouldn't bank on it," I mutter.

"What?" Alicia asks.

"Nothing," I reply, shaking my head. "See you guys later."

Walking into the store, I immediately make my way to the back wall where several shelves of transfiguration books lay, hoping to find one to help me through the last portion of my animagus transformation; my head.

Finding nothing, I head to the defense section, looking for more up to date hex and curse books than the ones that I've been reading at Snape's place. Finding a decent book, I pick it off the shelf and begin flipping through it. Deciding that it would do, having a fair amount of spells in it that I am unfamiliar with, I close it and look around the rest of the shelves figuring that Snape won't be around for a half hour or so.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder I turn around to see Oliver's brother, Topher, standing with a large smile on his lips.

"Hello, Toph," I state as he pulls me into a hug.

"Tay," he says happily. "How went my brother's visit?"

"Brilliantly," I reply, turning back around to browse the Charms books. "I'd be surprised if he didn't tell you so himself."

"You know him well then."

I shake my head, reading the titles in front of me. "I'd appreciate you not telling anyone."

"Don't worry about that," he replies. "When I started making fun of Oli, he held me at wand-point."

"As he should have," I state with a smirk, turning to face him. "What was there to make fun of him for?"

"My first thought is you."

"Bugger off," I reply, attempting to hide my smile. I've been close to Toph almost as long as I have Oliver. Less so, being in different houses, but we still get along extremely well. "Ready for year six?"

"More than ever, how about you, fourth year, right?"

"Yeah," I reply. "I doubt it will be more challenging than last year."

"Easy for you to say," Toph replies, reaching behind me to pick a book off the shelf. "You get what, perfect marks in everything without studying?"

I roll my eyes at him. "And how were your O.W.L.s?"

"Mostly Es and Os…no clue how I scraped an O in potions…I doubt I'll even pass this year."

"If you want a tutor, I can always attempt to help you. I try my best with Harry and Ron."

"Yeah," he says laughing. "Like I'm going to ask help from a Gryffindor two years younger than me and on an opposing Quidditch team."

"It might be the only way you pass my class," Snape's voice sounds from behind us, making Toph jump.

"And what is this?" He asks with a faint smile. "Set your eyes on the other Wood brother now? Forgotten about Weasley?"

As Toph starts to laugh, I elbow him in the side.

"Are you ready to leave?" Snape asks.

I hold the defense book up. "I just need to pay for this."

He nods at me and walks to the counter waiting for me to follow.

"I'll see you on the train then," I say to Toph, pulling him into a hug. "Tell Oli I say hello then."

I follow Snape to the counter and hand the book over to the witch behind the counter, pulling out my moneybag from my pocket and giving her the correct amount for the book.

"Don't you think you have enough books?"

"Never," I reply, looking down the road. "Is there any place near here that sells parchment?"

"Up the street a bit."

We walk up the Alley in silence and Snape turns me towards a small notary shop. I pick up several rolls of parchment and some new never out quills and head to the counter, paying for them and walking back out with Snape.

"Why is it that we're required to write with quills?"

"Because it's much neater than any Muggle invention."

"So a simple pencil would be wishing too much?" I ask him.

He rolls his eyes at me. "What is your issue with quills?"

"They're messy."

"Not if you use them correctly," he counters.

Reaching the apparition point, he grabs my arm and apparates us both back to his house.

****

**Give me love, because I love you all 3**


	13. The Burrow

**You've all been amazing. I love you loads. 3**

****

"You don't mind that I go?" I ask Snape, looking up from the invitation to the Quidditch World Cup and spending the rest of the summer at the Weasleys.

"Of course not, Tay," Snape replies with a smile. "I will see you at school remember. I'm perfectly capable of living on my own for…a week?"

I shake my head at him and write a quick response to George, telling him that I'll Floo to his place at noon tomorrow.

"You should pack all your belongings now, so you won't be rushed in the morning," Snape says when Onyx is out of sight.

"Yeah," I agree and head upstairs to the room that I had been staying in for the summer. All my school supplies and wizard robes I place inside of my trunk. Everything else, I place in a compartment of the magical case that I own, putting all the letters I've received this summer in their own separate compartment, and my trunk inside of the largest compartment of the case.

Picking up a stack of books from Snape's library that I seem to have acquired, I head back downstairs. Snape is sitting in an armchair when I walk into the library, looking out the window to his left.

"Hey," I state, placing the books down on a table, and beginning to place them back where they belong.

He looks at the table and then back at me. "All of those were in your room?"

"Apparently," I reply. "I had no idea that I had gathered so many of your books."

When I finish placing the books back onto the shelves that they belong on, I take the seat across from Snape, looking out the window that he had previously been looking at. "Venus is bright tonight."

He nods at me in agreement.

"As is Mars." Yet again, he nods.

"Pluto too," when he nods for a third time, I wave my hand in front of him. "You're not listening at all, Severus," I state with a smile.

"Sorry," he says, looking at me.

"What's wrong?" I ask him softly.

He stands up quickly from the table. "It's nearly twelve…you should be getting to sleep.

"Sev-"

He stops at the doorway, but doesn't turn around. "Give your father…and Lupin… a chance to be in your life…Adara…Having you here has made me wish…what I've missed out on…I'll see you in the morning."

I watch as he leaves, going over what he had just said. With how Snape distances himself from people, it surprises me that he possibly regrets not having a family of his own. With his stoicism, sometimes I forget how human he actually is.

****

"So," I state, standing in front of the fire with my case strapped to my back. Snape is standing in front of me, watching me closely.

"You're going to be late," he finally says.

I shrug and look down at my feet. "I'm okay with that."

Snape sighs and walks towards me. "You're going to have fun, and I will see you in about a week, so stop this."

"You're right," I reply, smiling up at him.

"Here," he says, handing me a leather bound journal. "I picked this up for you in Diagon Alley."

I pause for a moment as he pulls me into a hug and then I return the gesture. "Thank you, Sev," I tell him. "For everything."

He pulls away and shakes his head at me. "Believe me, it was no problem. Now get going, you wouldn't want to keep George waiting any longer, no would you?"

"Asshole."

"Now is that what you want to leave with?"

"Yup," I state with a smirk and throw a handful of Floo powder into the fire. "The Burrow," I say as I step into the green flames.

****

**Short, but I'm anxious for Goblet of Fire soooo- let's get to it **

**-Tay**


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